There's no place like home?

Yesterday we bussed two hours each way into the countryside to visit some villagers. I was rather pleasantly surprised to find that about 1/3 of them (out of a village of 3,000) were Christians, according to the locals. Hehe. This one old lady who invited me into her house was super happy to see me and kept saying "Praise the Lord!" and exhorting me to spread the Gospel everywhere I go. :P Well, well. It was a lot more like the last time I was in China (with Mom on a missions trip) than I had expected it to be.

Also, I am a major fan of outdoors squatties in the countryside. Enclosed, sickly tile wet smelling ones in the city gross me out far more. There's a lot of nice air and breeze and circulation going on in the great outdoors! And what if people see... they can see, I guess. I donno, I am fast learning to care a lot less. :P It's usually the smells that get to me, and if it's outdoors, that dissipates a lot faster!!

Last night Rio brought out his slacklining gear and showed me and the two Chrises how it all works. I tried it a few times; I suck at standing up on that line, but it could get really addictive. You basically take a wide piece of flat webbing (about an inch and change across in width?), strap it super tightly between two posts or trees, and walk on it. I was having a hard time even figuring out how to jump up/balance on the one foot (because it still sways and wiggles way more than a tightrope), but I managed a few seconds toward the end. ^^ Fun stuff. It takes super concentration, muscle strength and determination. I could see all of those being good for me.

We've had no Internet here in Xi'an, so Michelle and I have been unable to upload photos (or email people, or work on our work very much). It's not toooo bad, just really throws me off. I'm really frustrated that I haven't had more time or chance to work on stuff I want to get done. This blog post is probably going to turn into a super whine. :P I caught a cold from a classmate a while ago, and that nasty dry hacking cough is back again. Then I'm cramping (early), about to struggle and fight through a train station again with the way-too-much luggage I should've figured out a way to deal with earlier... our translators aren't coming to Hangzhou with us, and there is trip drama. K! Enough ranting!

So yeah, we leave for Hangzhou today. I'm a tiny bit sad because I've enjoyed Xi'an (although I'm not 100% sure I could tell you why)... I don't know what to expect - I just know that I get to enjoy figuring out tampons on a 20-hour train ride. Haha. Considering the fact that the last train I saw had major diarrhea remains all over its bathroom stall, I think I'm in for a treat. ;D That being said, the bathrooms and the inconvenience of hauling luggage on and off the trains are the only things I don't like about the sleepers... and I fully realize that that inconvenience is my own fault. I would still rather ride a sleeper train than fly almost any day.

I finished the Time Traveler's Wife on the bus yesterday - 5 hours' reading total for 536 pages; not bad! It's a really great book, with a clever plot and some pretty brilliant writing. <3ed it. Thanks, Michelle. :)

OK! Hopefully I can get more regular and more upbeat by next post. <3